Whole-Body Cryotherapy: Benefits, Risks and What the Research Says (UK 2026)

What is whole-body cryotherapy?

Whole-body cryotherapy (often shortened to WBC or "cryo") exposes almost your whole body to extremely cold, dry air for a very short time. You wear shorts or swimwear, gloves, socks, a headband or hat and often a face mask, then stand in the cold for two to three minutes. There are two main types of kit you will see in the UK:

• Electric cryotherapy chambers. Walk-in rooms cooled by electric refrigeration (no liquid nitrogen near you). You stand in a pre-chamber at around -60C, then the main room at about -110C to -140C. Your head is inside the cold air, so you breathe it, which is why staff limit time strictly.
• Nitrogen "cryosaunas" or cabins. Single-person tubs cooled by liquid nitrogen vapour, with your head above the rim. These are technically partial-body cryotherapy. Temperatures quoted can be lower, but the main extra hazard is the nitrogen itself, which can push oxygen out of the air if you breathe it in.

Some UK gyms run sessions at warmer settings, such as -90C at Third Space, while dedicated clinics advertise -130C sessions of one to three minutes. Researchers usually define WBC as exposure below -100C, as in the Cochrane review.

Cryotherapy is also a medical term for freezing off warts or skin lesions with liquid nitrogen. That is a different, well-established NHS procedure and not what this guide covers.

What does cryotherapy claim to do?

Clinics and wellness sites typically promise:

• Faster recovery: less muscle soreness (DOMS, the ache a day or two after hard exercise) and quicker return to training.
• Less inflammation: lower inflammation markers in the blood, and relief for joint pain.
• Better mood and sleep: an endorphin "buzz" afterwards and help with stress, anxiety or low mood.
• Metabolism and weight loss: burning hundreds of calories per session or "activating brown fat".
• Skin: tighter, brighter skin and help with conditions such as eczema.

The feeling afterwards is real. A few minutes of extreme cold triggers a strong stress response, and many people report feeling alert and energised. The question is whether it leads to lasting, measurable benefits.

What does the evidence show?

Does cryotherapy help muscle soreness?

The best summary is the Cochrane review by Costello and colleagues (2015). It found just four small lab trials with 64 people, almost all young men. Soreness scores were a little lower one hour after WBC, but at 24, 48 and 72 hours the results were uncertain and could not rule out no effect at all. All evidence was rated "very low" certainty. The authors concluded there was insufficient evidence to say WBC reduces soreness or improves recovery, and noted that none of the trials actively checked for side effects.

A broader 2017 review of 16 studies was more positive: most reported less muscle pain, especially with repeated sessions. But the studies used very different temperatures, timings and exercise, so the authors said firm recommendations were premature. A 2024 meta-analysis that pooled cold water, contrast water and WBC found cold water immersion reduced soreness, while WBC mainly lowered an inflammation marker (CRP), with no clear effect on performance for any method.

Does it reduce inflammation?

A 2025 meta-analysis of 11 randomised trials found WBC lowered one inflammatory signal (IL-1 beta) and raised an anti-inflammatory one (IL-10). That is interesting biology, but the total sample was only 274 people, and a change in a blood marker does not automatically mean you feel better or heal faster.

Mood, metabolism and skin

A 2021 meta-analysis on mental health found large improvements in depressive symptoms, but most studies had no proper control group and a high risk of bias, so the authors called it preliminary. WBC was studied as an add-on to usual care, never a replacement.

For weight, the strongest trial so far is a 12-month study in adults with obesity: adding 28 WBC sessions to a lifestyle programme did not increase weight loss or switch on brown fat, though fasting glucose and LDL cholesterol fell slightly more at five months. A lipid meta-analysis hinted at lower triglycerides but warned the seven studies were small and varied. Separately, a trial in trained cyclists found regular WBC after interval training added nothing to fitness gains.

Skin claims rest on very little. A 2026 study of 10 sessions in 12 young women found skin got colder, redder and slightly drier, with no change in firmness or elasticity.

How does it compare with an ice bath?

Cold water immersion has been studied for longer and in more people. The Cochrane review of cold water immersion (17 trials, 366 people) found it reduced muscle soreness at 24 to 96 hours compared with rest, though trial quality was low. Water also draws heat from the body much faster than air: one study found cold water cut leg blood flow more than WBC. A home cold plunge or a cold shower costs a fraction of a clinic session. See our ice bath and cold plunge guide for what that research shows.

Who might reasonably try it?

Healthy adults who enjoy the experience, can afford it and treat it as a pleasant extra rather than a treatment. If you find a session makes you feel good after hard training, that is a reasonable reason to go, as long as you know the recovery benefit is not proven.

Who should be careful?

In 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer warning saying it had not cleared or approved any WBC device to treat any medical condition and that the research on what happens inside the body at these temperatures is lacking. It listed risks of frostbite, burns, eye injury and asphyxiation (suffocation) from nitrogen vapour.

The asphyxiation risk is not theoretical. In 2015 a 24-year-old spa worker in Las Vegas died of asphyxia caused by low oxygen levels after using a nitrogen cryotherapy machine alone after hours. Nevada then introduced rules on oxygen monitors, single three-minute sessions and blood pressure checks.

An international scoping review on WBC safety (2023) found adverse events are uncommon when contraindications and guidelines are followed, but they do happen, and a survey of US college athletes found skin rashes, itching and cold burns were the most reported side effects.

Do not use cryotherapy, or speak to your GP first, if you have:

• heart disease, a recent heart attack, a pacemaker or uncontrolled high blood pressure (the cold sharply raises blood pressure)
• Raynaud's, poor circulation, peripheral neuropathy (reduced feeling in hands or feet) or cold allergy
• pregnancy
• a history of stroke, blood clots, seizures, severe asthma or claustrophobia
• open wounds, or are under 18

Never use a chamber alone or with wet skin, and never stay longer than staff advise.

Is cryotherapy regulated in the UK?

We could not find any UK licensing scheme specific to cryotherapy. Clinics fall under general health and safety law (including rules on liquid nitrogen and oxygen levels), and their advertising must follow the CAP Code. In 2017 the Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against a UK cryotherapy business that claimed WBC helped arthritis, MS, depression and exercise recovery, ruling the claims unsubstantiated and warning they could discourage people from seeking proper treatment.

If you want to try it: what to look for

• Price: UK sessions typically cost about £25 to £90 each, with first-visit offers and multi-session packages bringing the cost per visit down. Gym add-ons tend to be cheaper than standalone clinics.
• Screening: a good clinic takes your health history and checks blood pressure before your first session, and refuses you if a contraindication applies.
• Supervision: a trained member of staff watches you throughout and you can leave at any time.
• Chamber type: electric chambers avoid nitrogen around you; if it is a nitrogen cabin, your head must stay above the vapour and the room should have an oxygen monitor.
• Kit: dry skin, dry gloves, socks and ear cover, with nothing damp or metal against your skin.
• Honest marketing: be wary of clinics promising to treat arthritis, depression or weight problems.

Bottom line

Whole-body cryotherapy is a striking experience and may make you feel good for a while, and early studies show some changes in soreness and inflammation markers. But the best review of the evidence says we still do not know if it improves recovery, and the weight loss and skin claims have not held up. It carries real, if uncommon, risks. If recovery is your goal, cold water immersion has stronger evidence, costs less and you can do it at home.